Friday, 23 November 2012 17:16 Hintha NiThe KNU’s central committee has announced that Gen. Mutu Say Poe will continue as commander-in-chief of the Karen National Union (KNU) until a permanent decision is made at the group’s 15th congress which is scheduled to begin on November 26 and last until mid-December.The announcement was made following a meeting of 40 central committee members in the Lay Wah area in Karen State capital Pa-an from October 31 to November 20.Much controversy and division has affected the rank-and-file KNU members, not to...
Friday, November 23, 2012
Monywa copper mine protesters lack supplies
Friday, 23 November 2012 14:44 Nay MyoThe 200 protesters who continue to “sit-in” at Ledi camp on Latpadaung Mountain in Sagaing Division are suffering from a lack of food, water and medicine, said one of the protest organizers.“I am one of those living in the Ledi Sayadaw Buddhist temple,” said civic society group leader Aung Soe, speaking to Mizzima. “We badly need food, drinking water and...
Thursday, November 22, 2012
ITD’s relocation claim is false, says Dawei CBO
Thursday, 22 November 2012 18:02 Kun Chan
A community-based organization (CBO) in Tavoy [Dawei] says that claims made by the Italian-Thai Development Company (ITD) that it has relocated the majority of villagers from the area affected by the construction of the Dawei Project are false.
The local CBO, which calls itself “Tavoyan Voice,” was responding to an interview in the Thai daily Bangkok Post...
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Reporters, ILO rep charged in fish farm dispute
Thursday, 22 November 2012 13:02 PhanidaThe owner of a fish farm in the Irrawaddy delta has filed charges against two reporters and a representative of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for their involvement in a dispute between local farmers in Kyaunggon Township and himself.Military crony U Hmone, the owner of the fish farm in question, on November 19 filed charges at Pantanaw Police Station against Burma VJ Media reporter Myo Kyaw (aka Nyi Htwe) and Kyi Nyein Thaw from New Day Media after they had met farmers, taken photographs and...
Burma may agree to nuclear protocol
Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:33 Mizzima News
The Burmese government is ready to sign an international agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that would require it to declare all nuclear facilities and materials, according to an Associated Press (AP) report on Wednesday.“Little noticed in the warm glow of President Barack Obama's landmark visit to Myanmar was a significant...
Suu Kyi appointed UN ambassador for ‘Zero Discrimination’
Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:20 Mizzima NewsThe Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has appointed Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi as a “Global Advocate for Zero Discrimination.”In this new role, the Nobel Peace Prize winner will call on her fellow citizens and people around the world to eliminate stigma and discrimination, the UN said on Tuesday.Suu Kyi reportedly accepted the invitation...
OIC plan Burma visit
Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:18 Mizzima NewsThe Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is planning a visit to Burma for discussions on ways to resolve the Rohingya crisis, according to a report on Wednesday by Malaysian news agency Bernama.The news comes despite the Burmese government’s refusal to allow the OIC to open a liaison office in Burma.The Bernama report said that the visit will be led by Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu who will be accompanied by a number of foreign ministers from OIC member states. No dates were announced...
Burmese, Indonesian presidents discuss Rohingya Crisis
Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:16 Mizzima NewsBurma’s President Thein Sein requested help from Indonesia in resolving the crisis in Rakhine State during a meeting on Tuesday between both countries’ presidents on the sidelines of the current ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, according to a report on Wednesday in the Jakarta Post.“Myanmar invited us to help them [in resolving the Rohingya problem], with the President [Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] indicating his willingness to help in due time,” Indonesia’s presidential spokesman Teuku Faizasyah is quoted...
President announces Four-point Plan for Rakhine State
Thursday, 22 November 2012 13:04 Myo ThantBurma’s President Thein Sein told reporters on Wednesday that the government will pursue a four-point plan aimed at resolving the bitter divisions between Muslim and Buddhist communities in Rakhine State. He said the plan will involve changing people’s prejudices, promoting education, creating jobs—and introducing a program of birth control.
Burma's President...
Gold trading on the black market
Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:15 Mizzima NewsGold dealers in Burma are complaining that gold is being traded illegally on the black market, according to a report on Tuesday by Rangoon-based Eleven News.“They know about the black market, but authorities have yet to take any effective measures,” said Thudaw, the chairperson of Myanmar Gold Entrepreneurs Association. “There is no mechanism to monitor and control gold trading.”The Association has reportedly said that curbing illegal gold trading would enhance the stability of the Burmese gold market.Eleven...
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
UN, Govt to announce revised Rakhine plan
Tuesday, 20 November 2012 19:15 Mizzima NewsThe United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Ashok Nigam and Burma’s Minister for Border Affairs Lt-Gen. Thein Htay have announced that they will unveil a “Revised Rakhine Response Plan” to the media on Wednesday, November 21.In a joint statement on Tuesday, they said the plan was to be initiated to meet the urgent humanitarian needs in Rakhine State where up to 115,000 people are displaced and unable to return home.The UN-Naypyitaw joint-statement said that a total of US $67.6 million is...
ASEAN Economic Zone delayed by a year
Tuesday, 20 November 2012 19:06 Mizzima NewsSeveral media outlets have reported that heads of state at the ASEAN summit currently underway in Phnom Penh have agreed to delay the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) for 12 months from January 1 to December 31, 2015, in order to prepare policies and programs, including formalizing the necessary visa regulations among the Southeast Asian bloc.
heads...
Thein Sein fosters Chinese, Japanese, Thai relations
Tuesday, 20 November 2012 15:59 Mizzima NewsSpeaking at the 15th ASEAN-China Summit in Phnom Penh on Monday evening, Burmese President Thein Sein said that close relations with China would contribute to regional and global peace, stability and development.With Chinese premier Wen Jiabao and other Asian heads of state in attendance, Thein Sein said that since joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1997, Myanmar [Burma] has cooperated with other countries to further strengthen ASEAN-China relations and has constantly supported...
Monday, November 19, 2012
Obama pledges commitment to Burma’s reforms
Monday, 19 November 2012 17:37 Victoria BruceIf Burma continues with its commitment to democratic reforms and ending ethnic conflict, the United States will offer its ongoing support in assisting to rebuild its crippled economy, US President Barack Obama said on Monday afternoon.
Addressing a crowd of some 1,300 people at Yangon University, and flanked by Burmese pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu...
45 political prisoners released across Burma
Monday, 19 November 2012 15:21 Mizzima NewsThe Assistance Association for Political Prisoners- Burma (AAPP) has confirmed that 45 political dissidents were released from prisons across Burma on Monday as part of a presidential amnesty.
Unidentified political prisoners pose after they reached the National
League for Democracy headquarters in Rangoon following their release
from detention in an...
Nobel laureates call for end to Rakhine violence
Monday, 19 November 2012 14:44 Mizzima NewsFive female Nobel Peace Prize laureates have released an open letter to US President Barack Obama and President Thein Sein of Burma urging them to make a firm commitment to end the sectarian violence in Rakhine State.”
“We are deeply saddened by reports of the recent deaths of 170 people, and the displacement up to 110,000 people from their homes,” the...
‘We are moving forward’ Thein Sein tells Obama
Monday, 19 November 2012 12:33 Mizzima NewsBarack Hussein Obama became the first US president to visit Burma when Air Force One touched down just after 10 am at Rangoon airport on Monday morning.Accompanied by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the US president was greeted on arrival by Ambassador Derek Mitchell and Burma’s Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin.Some 3,000 schoolchildren, many of whom wore traditional Burmese costumes and carried flowers, were on hand to welcome Obama. Some had been waiting at the airport since 7 am.Obama was immediately...
ASEAN leaders sign controversial human rights charter
Monday, 19 November 2012 12:05 Mizzima NewsThe heads of the 10-member Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Sunday night signed a human rights pact despite widespread criticism that the declaration falls short of international standards and offers governments a variety of loopholes.The text of the declaration reaffirms the bloc’s support for political and civil rights, as well as economic and development rights for all of Southeast Asia’s 600 million citizens. It condemns torture, human trafficking, and arbitrary arrest and detention;...
US, Burma agree anti-human trafficking pact
Monday, 19 November 2012 12:04 Mizzima NewsThe United States and Burma have agreed to cooperate on anti-trafficking measures, according to a statement issued by the US Department of State on November 18, just hours ahead of the first visit to Burma by a US president.“The governments affirm that this joint plan provides a framework for joint action against all forms of trafficking in persons, including both sex and labor trafficking, whether committed across international borders or wholly within a country’s borders,” the statement said.The joint...
President’s Office extends prisoner amnesty
Monday, 19 November 2012 10:39Burmese President Thein Sein’s office announced on Monday morning that it was granting an additional 66 prisoners amnesty following its decision last week to release 452 prisoners under presidential decree.However, no reports have suggested that any of the 66 is a political dissiden...
President’s Office extends prisoner amnesty
Monday, 19 November 2012 10:39Burmese President Thein Sein’s office announced on Monday morning that it was granting an additional 66 prisoners amnesty following its decision last week to release 452 prisoners under presidential decree.However, no reports have suggested that any of the 66 is a political dissiden...
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Thein Sein returns to Burma to meet US President
Sunday, 18 November 2012 23:15 Mizzima News
Burmese President Thein Sein speaks at the ASEAN summit on Sunday morning, November 18. Photo: Myo Thant/Mizzima
Burma’s President Thein Sein flew on Sunday evening from Phnom Penh to Rangoon where he will host visiting US President Barack Obama on Monday. Thein Sein will then return to the Cambodian capital to resume participation at the current ASEAN...
Suu Kyi visits IT company in Bangalore
Sunday, 18 November 2012 14:20 Mizzima News
Aung San Suu Kyi is pictured with S. Gopalakrishnan, the Executive
Co-Chairman of Infosys, the largest IT Company in Bangalore, on Saturday
afternoon. Photo: Mizzima
On Saturday afternoon, Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi visited the largest IT company in Bangalore, the city often referred to as “India’s Silicon Valley.”
Aung...
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Majority should look through the minority’s eyes: Suu Kyi
Saturday, 17 November 2012 14:03 Mizzima NewsSpeaking to an audience of 8,000 Burmese, including many refugees, at Oxford Senior Secondary School in Delhi on Friday, Burmese pro-democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi said that sometimes the majority has to look at things through a minority’s eyes “When I came to India, I felt that I was coming to a friendly country with a long tradition,’ she said....
Obama urged to tackle human rights issues in Burma
Saturday, 17 November 2012 13:56 Mizzima NewsWashington-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Saturday urged US President Barack Obama to publicly address the deadly sectarian violence that continues in Rakhine State between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya (and non-Rohingya) Muslims.“Obama should press Thein Sein to end discrimination and violence against the Rohingya and grant them citizenship on par with other ethnic nationalities,” said Brad Adams, HRW’s Asia director. “He should stress the urgent need to allow international aid to reach the Rohingya...
Burma army reinforcement raises fears in Hpakant
Saturday, 17 November 2012 13:34 PhanidaDespite a recent lull in hostilities between Burmese government forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) around strategic Hpakant Township, the Burmese army has increased its presence in the jade mining area, spreading fear among locals that a resumption of the conflict is imminent.“During this period while everyone is focused on peace talks, the Tatmadaw [Burmese army] has increased its troop strength,” said a minister from a Baptist church in Hpakant. “The KIO [Kachin Independence Organization, the...
Friday, November 16, 2012
Rohingya crisis is Bangladesh’s responsibility too, says Suu Kyi
Friday, 16 November 2012 15:06 Mizzima NewsAung San Suu Kyi on Thursday described the sectarian violence in Burma’s Rakhine State a “huge international tragedy” and said illegal migration from Bangladesh to Burma had to be stopped.
Conditions are rough in Teknaf camp in Bangladesh. Movement of refugees
is restricted and housing is in need of repair or renewal. Photo: UNHCR
Speaking on NDTV...
Kachin farmers to Obama: Stop funding sham ‘tiger reserve’
Friday, 16 November 2012 18:15 Mizzima NewsKachin farmers plan to present US President Barack Obama with a petition on Monday demanding that the US government cease funding the Hugawng Tiger Reserve in Kachin State, which they say is just a front for deforestation and crop cultivation by a company representing several of Burma’s military cronies.
A tiger captured by remote camera in Myanmar's...
Rangoon to host ICT summit, Dec 3-4
Friday, 16 November 2012 14:51The Inya Lake Hotel in Rangoon will provide the setting for the “INTO MYANMAR ICT Global Summit: Mobile Telecom | Internet Infrastructure | Cloud Computing” summit on Dec 3-4.In view of the step-by-step privatization of Burma’s telecommunications sector, the summit should provide a networking opportunity for foreign and domestic investors to meet with key stakeholders in Burma’s burgeoning ICT market, according to sponsors Magenta Global.“Myanmar is poised for significant investment in telecom and internet infrastructure,”...
Myanmar Airways resume flights to Cambodia
Friday, 16 November 2012 14:48 THE BANGKOK POST After a three-month suspension of services, on December 1 Myanmar Airways International (MAI) will resume regular flights between Yangon and Cambodia.
The airline started a twice-weekly flight to Siem Reap in late February but suspended the service due to low demand, according to Lav Heng, a sales agent for MAI in Cambodia and the Chairman...
Suu Kyi plants a tree, discusses alternative energy sources
Friday, 16 November 2012 14:04 Nay MyoOn the third day of her visit to India, Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi planted a tree—a shade sapling (Cedrela Febrifuga)—during a visit to The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), an environment research project located in Gurgaon special economic zone outside Delhi.Accompanied by Dr. R K Pachauri, the director general of TERI and other institute...
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Thein Sein to attend ASEAN Summit in Cambodia
Thursday, 15 November 2012 17:39 Myo ThantBurmese President Thein Sein will attend the current ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh from Saturday, November 17, and will stay in the country for four days, the summit organizers have said.The summit began on Thursday, November 15, at the 10-storey Vimean Santepheap building in the Cambodian capital, and will conclude on November 20.The Burmese president is due...
Burma govt forms Information Committee
Thursday, 15 November 2012 15:48 Khin Myo ThweThe President’s Office in Naypyitaw announced on November 15 that it has formed an Information Committee, which will be responsible for the distribution of news about politics, economics, security matters, the military and disaster-related affairs.The committee will hold press conferences and issue press releases when necessary and will do so in a timely manner, it said.The President’s Office said that the committee must act as both “pre-active” and “reactive” sources of information. It will distribute...
Burmese Embassy in Delhi receives Daw Suu
Thursday, 15 November 2012 15:10 Mizzima News
Former political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi made an unscheduled stop at the Burmese Embassy in Delhi for 40 minutes on Thursday morning.
She was received by the chargé d’affaires, Ba Hla Aye, along with other Embassy officials, councilors and Burma’s military attaché to India.
Chargé d’Affaires Ba Hla Aye (center, wearing glasses)...
UNHCR calls for SE Asian neighbors to accept Burma’s boatpeople
Thursday, 15 November 2012 14:35 Mizzima NewsThe United Nations’ High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) released a statement on Tuesday calling on Burma’s neighbors to open their borders to boatpeople fleeing violence in Rakhine State.And in a separate development, a group of 38 Kachin refugees who were resettled in Romania have sought asylum in Denmark claiming they were forced to live in squalor in Romania.With regard to Burma’s boatpeople, UNHCR “called on countries in South-East Asia to keep their borders open to people fleeing Myanmar by...
Ethnic bloc calls for nationwide cease-fire
Thursday, 15 November 2012 14:31 Mizzima NewsBurma’s main ethnic bloc, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), has echoed Naypyitaw’s proposal of a nationwide cease-fire, according to a report by the Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA).Meeting on Friday in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai, nine representatives of the UNFC met with an 8-member government delegation led by President’s Office...
452 Burmese prisoners to be released in amnesty
Thursday, 15 November 2012 14:28 Mizzima NewsThe Burmese government announced on Thursday morning that it would release 452 prisoners as a token of goodwill and a gesture of friendship toward neighboring countries.It was not immediately apparent how many of the 452 would be political dissidents, but previous amnesties have included a number of political prisoners.Speaking to Mizzima on Thursday morning, Tate Naing of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners- Burma (AAPP) said that he had not been informed of any political dissident who...
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Suu Kyi calls on India to ‘Stand by Burma’
Wednesday, 14 November 2012 23:43 Mizzima NewsAung San Suu Kyi addressed the unease that has prevailed during her trip to India about the country’s support for the Burmese military junta during her period of house arrest, but reserved most of her 35-minute speech in Delhi for praising Indian leaders Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi.“The two words I have heard most often [since I arrived in India...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Subscribe to email feed
